Established in 1982, Great Clips perfected a system for delivering competitively priced, high-quality haircuts to men, women and children with no appointments. When Great Clips opened the first salons back in 1982 there were just a few dreamers, but with hard work, solid business practices and the right people, they truly revolutionized the haircare industry. In 1983, Ray called his friends, Roger and Marylu Ledebuhr, every night for well over a month, hounding them to open the first Great Clips franchise in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Partially in an effort to stop Ray from calling and to get some peace and quiet, the Ledebuhrs and their partner Mary Lou Barton agreed to open the first Great Clips franchise—that first franchised location opened on July 16, 1983.

Ray Barton, one of the early Great Clips leaders and now Chairman, recalls, “In 1988, I set a goal to reach 3,000 salons and everyone thought I was crazy. I was naive enough to believe we could do it, and we did! “We were customer-focused; we had a great system, a focused development strategy and a strong relationship with our franchisees (salon owners),” notes Barton. Over the past three decades, Great Clips has continued to apply this same steady approach that made them the world's largest salon brand.